The European Commission on Friday pledged to tighten visa issuance for Russian nationals amid a political backlash against France, Italy and Spain, which continue to welcome hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists every year.
The proposal, which will arrive next year and therefore not affect the upcoming summer season, will be limited in scope, as visa issuance remains the responsibility of individual member states, with Brussels providing only supranational oversight.
"We will propose to introduce targeted restrictive visa measures to further address security risks stemming from hostile actions by third countries," Markus Lammert, the Commission's spokesperson for migration, said on Friday afternoon.
"This is part of the revision of the Visa Code next year."
The Commission declined to provide additional details.
